To Shake Away Nightmares
by DobbyRocksSocks
Summary: Blaise enjoys hot chocolate when he has nightmares or when he's feeling restless, but he's fully aware that there are better ways to shake the nightmares away.


**Disclaimer - I own nothing you recognise.**

 **Written for;**

 **Word Count Game;** 800 Words, Blaise Zabini, Socks, Late, Luck.

 **Slytherin Challenge** \- Blaise Zabini

 **Build A Fic Workshop** \- BlaiseDraco, restless, nightmares, Hogwarts Kitchens, chocolate frogs.

 **Colours of the Rainbow** \- Black Prompt 3 - Night

 **100 Pairings** \- BlaiseDraco

 **100 Ways to say I Love You** \- 18. "Here, drink this. You'll feel better."

 **Every Character Weekly** \- Draco Malfoy

 **Word Count Without AN** \- 794

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 **To Shake Away Nightmares**

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Blaise padded through the corridors, the slipper socks he'd never wear when there was a chance of anyone running across him protecting his feet from the cold stone on the floor. It was late at night, past midnight at any rate, but he was unable to sleep and he _really_ wanted some hot chocolate. The kitchens were technically out of bounds for students, but he'd found them by accident in his fifth year and had been a regular visitor ever since.

Tickling the fruit with a small smile, he stepped into the brightly lit kitchen. The house-elves greeted him cheerfully, but he barely registered them as he stared at the unexpected figure sitting in the far corner.

"Draco?"

"Checking up on me, Zabini?" he asked, his tone bitter as he glared Blaise's way.

Holding his hands up, Blaise shook his head. "How on earth would I have known you were here? Merlin, can you say paranoid?"

"Then what are you doing here?"

"Hot chocolate. Couldn't sleep."

Blaise could see the curiosity in Draco's eyes as one of the elves appeared beside him with a pile of chocolate frogs and a saucepan. Setting to melting the chocolate, he ignored his friend, sure that if the blonde boy wanted to talk, he'd make it known.

"You're making your own?"

Snorting his amusement at the attempted sneer, Blaise nodded. "Course. Nobody can make better hot chocolate than me. Helps with nightmares or when I'm feeling particularly restless."

The sneer was apparent and present when Draco replied, "What would you know about nightmares?"

Raising his eyebrow, Blaise turned around to stare at Draco. "You're not the only one who suffered through the war, Draco, and to think otherwise is ignorant and idiotic. I might not have lived the same months you did, but we all saw our share of horrors over the months and you know it."

Pale skin got paler still before Draco nodded stiffly. "You're right, I'm sorry. That was... stupid of me to say."

Silence filled the kitchen for a few minutes while Blaise concentrated on his task, but it wasn't uncomfortable. Finished, he poured the delicious smelling liquid into two cups and crossed the room to hand one to Draco.

"Drink that. You'll feel better."

Draco opened his mouth to argue that he didn't _need_ to feel better, but seemed to think better of it as he accepted the cup with quiet thanks.

"I know you've had a tough few years, Draco, but it can... it will get better. It probably doesn't help now, but you just have to give it time."

"I messed up," Draco admitted, his voice little more than a whisper. "I thought I was so clever, showing off about following in my Father's footsteps. It was nothing like I expected it to be. It was terrifying. He was terrifying. You have no idea how lucky you are that you never had to speak to him."

"I don't know that luck has anything to do with it, but you're right that I'm glad he never had reason to seek me out personally. Nobody is going to deny that you made mistakes, Draco, but you've got time to change. We're still young, we've got the rest of our lives. Make it count."

Draco nodded, leaning into the hand Blaise put on his shoulder.

"I'm... sorry. For everything I said, did, to you. I shouldn't have... I was wrong. You have to know that. I didn't mean any of it."

Blaise smiled slightly. "Oh, I know that. I've just been waiting for you to catch up."

Draco looked up, his eyes quizzical as he took in Blaise's expression. "You... forgive me?"

"Of course I do. Git. As if you thought I wouldn't."

"I don't know what to think about anything at the moment, honestly. I just... being here isn't helping either. I can't wait for the NEWT's to be done with."

Laughing, Blaise shifted his hand from Draco's shoulder to the back of his neck.

"So eager to grow up, Draco. You don't want to take a minute to enjoy being normal teenagers? Making out in broom cupboards, and the back stacks at the library, and in the kitchens past midnight?"

A slow smirk made its way across Draco's face. "You make a compelling argument. Care to remind me how it feels to be normal?"

"It'd be my absolute pleasure."

Their lips met, the hot chocolate forgotten, half drunk, on the counters. After all, making out was a much better way to shake away nightmares.


End file.
